


The Ebony Snow White (abridged version)

by ReaperOfAngels



Category: Schneewittchen | Snow White (Fairy Tale)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 11:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13030419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaperOfAngels/pseuds/ReaperOfAngels
Summary: Well, you see, someone posted a thing on tumblr that asked for w story in which Snow White had ebony skin and snow white hair instead of the other way around, and my hand kind of slipped.





	The Ebony Snow White (abridged version)

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that the racism part of this story is not written well simply because I was trying to keep this under 5k, which I barely did. I will eventually be putting up a longer version of this that goes into further detail, but this is what this is right now. I stuck to the Brothers' Grimm original fairy tale like glue, I didn't go into Disney territory. I did put a couple of twists of my own in this story, but other than that, it is very true to the original tale. Including the cannibalism bit.

The queen scowled as she watched Snow White from her balcony. Ebony skin glistened in the sun, her long white hair partially tied into a bun, barely hanging down to her waist. Scrubbing away at the stairs. They didn’t get visitors often, but the queen was happy to see them scowl at the dark-skinned girl. The mirror still called her the fairest of them all, but the girl she was fostering was growing more beautiful by the day, and that irked her like nothing else. Her features were as sharp as the queen’s; they were slightly soft in some areas, then sharper in others. High cheek bones made her pale brown eyes stand out against her skin. She was a walking wonder to some.  
Snow didn’t speak to many people. She spoke perfect English, it was the only language she spoke, but the people who stopped to talk to her acted as if she didn’t know what they were saying. She had learned that it just wasn’t worth her time. Dealing with them wasn’t worth ripping her rags further, dealing with them wasn’t worth getting behind her work. Her rags were simple; two pieces, since the waist got horribly ripped and Snow decided to improvise. The top was bunched up at the bottom, almost purple in color. Hibiscus red, one of the nobles commented. The skirt was a variety of colors, circling around her knees with a few violent looking rips after that. It looked like someone had sewn large autumn leaves together and make a skirt. She had shoes, but she didn’t wear them often, since the court years was perfectly flat enough for her feet. She liked it better like that anyway. It made her feel freer.  
The queen scowled once the mirror finally brought up how beautiful Snow White was becoming. The queen recognized it as well and she was mildly outraged. A dark-skinned girl. One in which she was fostering, at that. She wasn’t a slave like the ones that her neighbors harbored, but she was typically looked down upon as one. She was growing more beautiful with each passing day, and now that the mirror had brought it up, she felt a strong desire to get rid of the threat. She called for a huntsman, told him to take her to the forest to kill her, requesting that he bring back her lungs and her liver as proof of her death.

One of the guardsmen came up to her. Full suit of armor. No telling what was behind that helmet. He told her that the queen was sending for her to go pick wildflowers from the fields for the upcoming gathering. Snow White obliged, anything to get to go out to the forest, instead of staying here. She ran up to her room in the tower and pulled on a dress more suitable for going out in front of people. A white dress, the torso portion covered in lace, the shoulders being nothing but the beautiful pattern that decorated her dark skin. It flared out at the waist and stopped past her knees. A fake corset back, since she certainly didn’t have anyone to help her with a corset. She slid on a pair of white ankle boots, also decorated with lace, soft lace for shoe string and tied like a bow at the top. She grabbed her basket and hurried back down to her escort, her snowy hair flowing behind her as she practically ran for the castle gates. She couldn’t wait to get away from the castle grounds, even if it were only for a couple of hours.

The walk through town was as pleasant as one would expect in a time in which her skin was frowned down upon heavily. Heavy glances and whispers and even some glares. Her escort seemed uncomfortable. She didn’t care. She held her basket to her hip. She breathed in the earthy, savory smells from the market. It was so much more roguish than the food ever served at the castle. She loved it. She could smell steaks cooking away a top of fire and she could smell vegetable soup wafting throughout the whole market. The fish smell was heavy as they passed by the lake, but she loved it as much as the soup. It was different. It made her stomach churn with hunger. She hadn’t been allowed to eat since lunch yesterday, and everything smelt brilliant right now. But she repressed the noises her stomach wanted to make. Letting people know her thin figure was due to mistreatment was not something she wanted people to know. As far as they were concerned, she was the step daughter of the queen, not her slave. Them knowing she was basically a slave would make their look on her even harsher.  
They often starved their slaves here in this area, but never their children.

The field was beautiful at this time of year. Filled with such a variety of plants it was like a rainbow dropped from the sky and just splashed itself down onto the field, watering and coloring the flowers and berry bushes. She immediately buried herself in her work of gathering flowers, picking any that she deems worthy of a gathering, which was most likely another ball. She hummed quietly as she worked, picking up a pink carnation and rubbing her fingers over the stem for a moment before noticing a shadow over her. She turned around and screamed when she saw her escort above her, holding a knife. He looked as if he really would stab into the poor girl’s heart, but his resolve shattered when Snow White began to cry. God, she was beautiful. He had never thought a girl like her would strike him as beautiful but with every tear she shed he felt a little bit more of his pride as a huntsman cracking away. Snow White practically begged him to spare her, even going as far as saying she would run into the woods and never return. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t take the life of someone so undeserving of death. He didn’t even need to think about his answer. He told her to run, run as far as she could, warned her over her stepmother’s obsession. He had to look away as she ran, leaving her basket of flowers behind in her frenzy to get away.

The huntsman felt so ashamed of himself as he began to gut a boar. He had failed, but a pig’s organs were so similar to a human’s, the queen wouldn’t notice, would she? He hoped not. She would behead him on the spot if she found out. He had to give her the lungs and liver and get out as fast as possible.  
And that he did, but not before he was forced to watch the royal chefs cook the lungs and liver and serve them up and watching as the queen ate them. He swallowed as she ripped apart the lungs. Thank god those were a boar’s. He didn’t know if he would have been able to watch this, knowing they were a human’s. She had believed him about the lungs and liver, that they were Snow White’s. Which meant she thought she was eating another human’s organs. That made him feel sick.

Snow White had been so afraid, having been frozen in shock as she stared at the trees before she just ran. Animals jumped out at her but none of them ever touched or harmed her. She just ran. She ran for what felt like hours. Days. She had to have run at least 10 miles into the dense forest before she began to feel incredibly weak. She felt like everything may start crashing down on her. Then she came to a clearing. A clearing with a cottage. It was much more homely than any home she had ever seen. But it was… tiny. Not like, dollhouse tiny. Just tiny enough that she had to bend over to get into the house. Everything was small, but it was clean inside. Incredibly clean, actually. There was a table that had seven chairs, seven plates, seven forks and seven knives, and seven mugs. Beer mugs, but they were filled with wine. She felt her hunger take her over. Some bread, a couple veggies from each plate, just a little wine from the mugs. Then her exhaustion took her over.  
She climbed up the stairs, glancing around at the seven beds. She slid off her shoes. She tried one after another, none of them perfect, until she arrived at the seventh. So comfortable. She felt herself melt into the bed, pulling the covers over herself, setting her shoes next to the bed. She fell asleep so quickly she couldn’t even remember closing her eyes.

The owners of the house returned later in the night, but they noticed differences before they even got inside. There were footprints in the soft grass and the animals seemed much too curious in their home. They got inside. Seven dwarves, those of which dug for ore in the mountains. They noticed differences in the table. Wine was missing. Bread, vegetables, things missing from plates, silverware and chairs moved. One had already gone upstairs and noticed a small imprint on his ridiculously soft bed that Snow White had immediately denied. They began to whisper before the seventh dwarf noticed Snow White sleeping in his bed. They had been gone long enough for Snow White’s sleeping figure had gotten comfortable, the covers thrown off and her head turned to the side. They all gathered around the bed, gasping in pure amazement.  
“My god, she’s beautiful!” One of them whispered. “Good heaven, good heaven!” One of them cried out quietly.  
She was too beautiful to wake. Thankfully, dwarves didn’t have much prejudice. They had skin colors of all sorts in their species, many great leaders having come from dwarves who weren’t white, so they didn’t have a problem with recognizing Snow White’s beauty. They simply couldn’t find the heart to wake her. The seventh dwarf ended up sleeping with his companions that night, an hour in each bed.

When Snow White woke up the next morning to find the dwarves gathered around her, she started and immediately began to apologize, backing up on the bed. But their gentle smiles helped her relax.  
“What is your name?” One asked. Snow White supplied him with her answer easy enough. They all sighed at the sound of her beautiful voice. It sounded like a bird’s wistful song.  
“How did you find our cottage?” Another asked. Snow White tensed up for a minute before sighing.  
“My stepmother tried to kill me. The huntsman… the one she hired to kill me… he spared me. He let me run. I run all day and I came upon this cottage. I’m very sorry. I… I was just so tired.” She murmured, looking down ashamedly.  
"If you will keep house for us,”  
“And cook,”  
“Make beds,”  
“Wash,”  
“Sew,”  
“And knit,”  
The first dwarf glared lightly as his companions, who all gave shameless smiles. He sighed, continuing, “and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want."  
Snow White perked up and began to smile, nodding eagerly. That was easy enough, she did all of that back at the castle, and these people seemed like much more pleasant company. “Yes, I will. I will put my heart into taking care of everything.” She chirped happily.  
Cooking came easy to her, even in the wake of having such strange ingredients put in front of her. She was cooking up soup and pies soon enough when she figured out how to work on things. She kept her beautiful white dress on, but left her shoes upstairs, walking around inside and outside barefoot. Her feet quickly developed an easy tolerance to the hard and slightly rocky ground coupled with the soft grass. As the days passed, she found herself dancing around outside with the dwarves in her bare feet, not even caring that her hands would get covered in coal dust. She soon found that she loved the smell of coal dust. It was comforting, it reminded her of the people who were so kind as to let her stay. They were the closest thing she would ever get to a family. They warned her though, warned her that the queen would learn she was there in the forest. They warned her not to let anyone into the cottage except for them.

One day, the queen, disguised as an old peddler woman came to the door, yelling. “Beautiful wares!” She cried. Snow White leaned out the window, the wonderful smell of a meat pie cooking drifting out into the field. “Hello ma’am, what is it?”  
“Beautiful wares!” She called, being careful not to scowl at Snow White. Damn her beautiful dark skin and the way her white hair contrasted her skin. Snow White had on a loose blouse that the dwarves had given her as a present for her hard work. The woman smiled. “I am selling bodices.” She said, holding up a bodice made of colorful silk. Snow White saw genuinity in the woman and went to the door, unbolting it and taking the bodice, sliding it on quietly. The peddler smiled. “Oh how you look! Please, let me lace you up properly.” She said. Snow white turned and pulled her hair over her shoulder. When she wasn’t looking the queen pulled sharply, tightening it so much that Snow White couldn’t breathe. The peddler whispered something along the lines of “you used to be the fairest of them all” before rushing away.  
The dwarves came home, and, to their horror, saw the beautiful ebony girl lying on the ground, unmoving, looking as dead as a fish out of water. One noticed that the bodice was tied much too tight and took his dagger from his pocket and cut the lace in half. They watched in relief as she slowly began to breathe again, seemingly coming back to life.  
She had a broken rib, one of the dwarves said as he examined her. Snow White was still a little out of it, but she comprehended their presence and was talking quietly, explaining what had happened. The dwarves looked at one another.  
“It was that wicked queen, I’m sure of it.” One chimed. “Please, Snow White, take care of yourself. Don’t let people in if we are not here with you.” He said gently. Snow White sighed and nodded, leaning back as the seventh dwarf began to braid her hair boredly. She took in the lovely smell of coal. The seventh dwarf had washed his hand before he touched her hair, but the rest still smelt like coal. She took in the comforting smell.

Days later, the queen was back, disguised as another woman. A poisonous comb was in her basket this time. “Good wares! Good wares for sale!” She called.  
Snow White leaned out the window again. This time the smell that drifted out was the pleasant smell of a cobbler cooking. Berries, no doubt. “Please, go on your way. I am not allowed to let anyone inside.” She hummed sadly. The queen felt a little distress go through her, but she could manipulate his girl easy enough. Snow White was too eager, she knew that. “Oh, but you can surely look?” She asked, holding up the comb. Snow White was so taken with the comb. Sleek and black with designs of roses on the sides. She ran to the door and unbolted it, paying for the comb. She needed a new one anyway, she reasoned.  
The woman smiled. “Wonderful. Now turn around so I may comb your hair properly.” She said. Snow White obliged. The comb barely touched her scalp before the poison kicked in and Snow White went unconscious. The wicked woman chuckled darkly before leaving again, going back to her castle, knowing surely that this time Snow White would die.  
But it was nearing evening. The dwarves entered the clearing and reveled in the delicious smell coming from the cottage, until panic arose again when they saw Snow White laying on the floor, looking as dead as a swatted fly. The immediately suspected that wicked queen. They barely even removed the comb before she came too. Snow White sat up slowly, then sighed as she told them what happened. They warned her once again.  
Snow White spent the rest of the night singing for the dwarves. She desperately wanted to dance just like they were, but her broken rib wouldn’t allow it. It was close to healing thanks to the dwarf healing methods that they were using, but she still needed to be careful.

Days later. She was fully healed and happily dancing around the cottage as she cooked. A knock came to the door. She stuck her head out the woman. A peasant woman with a basket of apples. She sighed. “Sorry, I can not let anyone in. I am forbidden from doing so.”  
The woman shrugged. “No matter. I can get rid of my apples easily.” She said and walked to the window. Snow White shook her head. “I’m not allowed to accept anything.”  
The woman grinned. “Why? Are you afraid of poison?” She asked and held up her poisonous apple. It was masterfully made by the use of witchcraft. The apple was white with red cheeks, made so the white half was safe to eat and the red half was poisonous. The queen knew that anyone who looked at the beautiful apple would want it, and Snow White was no exception. “Here, I’ll cut it in half. I’ll eat the white half and you eat the red half.” She said calmly. As soon as Snow White saw the woman safely eating her half of the apple, she couldn’t resist. She took a bite. Dizziness took over her, a strange feeling pooling in her stomach before she collapsed, dead on the ground. The queen cackled. "White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony wood! This time the dwarfs cannot awaken you."

That was the only night she went home and the mirror told her she was the fairest and did not mention Snow White.

When the dwarves came home, saw Snow White dead on the ground, the immediately started looking for something poisonous. They undid her laces, nothing. Combed her hair, nothing. They bathed her in water and wine. Nothing helped. She was dead. The beautiful girl they had all grown to love was dead. They laid her upon a bier, and mourned and cried for three days. Snow White remained in her deep sleep of death, surrounded by the comforting smell of coal. They would have buried her, but they couldn’t bring themselves to do so. She still looked as fresh as a living person, still had that rosy glow to her skin.  
They said they couldn’t bury her in the black earth. They had a glass coffin made for her so she could be seen from all sides, so people could see her utter beauty. They laid her inside and her name written in golden letters on the coffin, and that she was a princess. They brought with them to the mountains so one could always watch over her. Even the animals came to mourn the girl. An owl, a raven, and a dove.  
No matter how long she laid in the coffin, she never decayed. She looked like she was asleep. She kept her beautiful glow.  
One day a prince from a far off kingdom came to the dwarves’ cottage, some of his footmen from this kingdom. The dwarves looked at him curiously. They all looked more tired than ever. They had never been able to get over Snow White’s death, and they still cried over her some days.  
“Please, I need shelter for the night before I go to visit the monarch of this kingdom. May I stay here?” he asked. The dwarves looked to one another before looking back at the prince. “Yes, you may stay, but do not expect to be fed. We do not have that much food.” One of them said. They didn’t go out for food much anymore, finding little motivation. The only reason they still worked in the mountains was because that was their source of money. As soon as the prince walked in, he saw the coffin and there laid the beautiful, undecaying body of Snow White. He fell in love instantly. He went over to the coffin and began to read. The Snow White Princess. He soon found himself begging the dwarves to take her with him.  
"Let me have the coffin. I will give you anything you want for it."

But the dwarves answered, "We will not sell it for all the gold in the world."

Then he said, "Then give it to me, for I cannot live without being able to see Snow White. I will honor her and respect her as my most cherished one."

The dwarves took pity on him, he looked so desperate. They felt a different vibe come from this particular human. He had looked at Snow White and had immediately looked over her skin color and fell in love with her. They figured, maybe it was time they moved on. They gave the prince the coffin. He didn’t even bother waiting, having his men pick up the coffin, planning on going back to his kingdom with the girl.  
They carried her through the forest, though the dwarves followed him to make sure he didn’t abuse her. One of the footmen tripped and the disturbance was enough to cause the apple lodged in Snow White’s throat to come out. She was waking up now and pushing the coffin lid up, sitting up.  
"Good heavens, where am I?" she cried out.  
The prince felt his heart melt.  
“With me. I took you from the dwarves when I saw you in their home. I just couldn’t leave you. I fell in love instantly. I love you more than anything else. Please, come home with me, become my wife.”  
Snow White could feel her face heating up, her ebony skin taking on a beautiful red sheen. She glanced over and spotted a dwarf. She felt her chest tighten. “Um…” She fiddled with the edge of her dress. The dwarves had put her in a blue and gold dress, the small train going near the ground as she sat atop the coffin, a pair of blue heels on her feet. She glanced down. “Please, try and court me for a bit? I need to be with my family.” She said and slid down. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t immediately taken with the prince, but she felt that marrying someone so quickly was absurd. The dwarves came out of the trees and looked happy enough to cry. She ran to them and hugged them. She breathed in the now heavenly smell of coal.

The prince had obliged and stayed to live with her and the dwarves for a few months. She had taught him how to gather herbs and berries and he had taught her to hunt, helping her get strong enough to draw back a bow and then taught her to aim and stay steady. She taught him to cook, what part of the animal you needed for what and what spices went best with different meats and how to balance flavors. She taught him to dance like a free spirit rather than a straight-backed royal. They found themselves falling for each other more every day. She soon agreed to go back to his kingdom and marry him, on the condition that the dwarves could come.  
The prince’s father was certainly surprised when his son came home after months of being gone, looking so relaxed in the courtyard as he danced around with his fiancee, laughing as they traded kisses, but the display of pure love had his heart melting. This girl of ebony skin, snow white hair, and blood red lips was certainly the person that could keep his son happy for the rest of his days.

The queen heard of a wedding in a neighboring kingdom, dressing herself in her best robes. She hadn’t asked in a long while, but she walked up to the mirror and asked her usual question.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,  
Who in this land is fairest of all?

The mirror answered:

You, my queen, are fair; it is true.  
But the young queen is a thousand times fairer than you.

The queen felt her envious and wicked heart flair with panic. She considered not going to the wedding. It would save her the envy and pain. But her curiosity got the best of her. She recognized Snow White immediately, despite her get-up. They had cleaned Snow White thoroughly, her skin only slightly lighter after all the dirt and coal dust was removed from her. Her hair was washed, and it was so white it was almost blinding as the sun shone down on it. It was in an updo, a large bun behind her head with elegant curls and a large, black barrette to hold it up, her veil attached to the barrette.  
Her dress was a dark red, flaring out at the waist. It had a veil over the skirt that had white roses decorating the edges, and she had white gloves with soft designs of red roses around the edges, a silk ribbon wrapped around her waist and tied into a pristine bow in the back and another in front that held the veil. She wore a necklace of diamonds around her neck  
She was truly beautiful. She was always beautiful. The red of her dress brought out her blood red lips. The dark color went with her skin too nicely. This was her wedding day. She would never get more beautiful than this.  
The queen couldn’t move. She had killed her, Snow White had been dead for nearly a half year. This couldn’t be happening. She just kept getting back up on her feet!

Snow White stared at the queen, but the dwarves were the first to shout angry and abrasive things at the woman and accuse her of attempted murder. The prince looked down at his beloved, who only sighed, gripping his hands gently. He then looked to one of his servants and nodded his head.

The queen was brought up to the altar. She was presented with red-hot iron shoes being warmed on coals. She was then forced to step into them and dance until she dropped dead. Snow White watched her quietly, and, for some reason, didn’t feel sorry for her. The woman had tried to kill her three times, so could you blame her? When Snow White watched her droop dead, she had the comfortable feeling of knowing that the queen wouldn’t ever get back up. When the queen died, she died. Snow White walked up quietly, and knelt down just before the queen took her last breath. The queen looked up at her. Snow White glanced away, then back at her. “I am not unworthy of life simply because I am ebony. I am my own person. I have enough right to live as you do. I’m sorry I was more beautiful than you were. I had no control over that. My mother always wished for a daughter as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood.” She murmured, looking at her skin. It was chocolatey, going well with the dark reds and the stunning whites. She then looked back up. “But I must thank you. I wouldn’t be where I am now, with the love of my life by my side, if I hadn’t run away from the huntsman a year ago. Goodbye.” She said, and before the queen could lash out, she drew her last breath. Snow White stood up and she looked down at her stepmother sadly, but then grinned like a dope as she felt her prince’s arms wrap around her waist from behind. It was time for the reception, and their dance. The dance that would seal the deal.  
And she couldn’t wait to start a new life with a new family that cared for her. Even if it took her dying three times to get there.


End file.
